Photo: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Carter Rowney starred at the University of North Dakota for four seasons before turning pro in the 2012-13 season (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

With less than a month to go in the regular season, the only true rookies in the AHL’s Eastern Conference are those joining AHL teams on amateur tryout contracts from Canadian junior leagues and the NCAA ranks. Most first-year players have 50-65 games under their belt now and are either gearing up for a postseason run, or looking to leave a final impression before heading into the offseason. Read more»

Photo: Boston College defenseman and Florida Panthers prospect Ian McCoshen has improved his offensive production each season, with his 2015-16 output totaling 16 points in 38 games to date (courtesy of Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)

In the 2015-16 season, there are 65 NHL-drafted defensemen playing in the NCAA. The 10 defensemen ranked here represent nine NHL teams, with the Boston Bruins having two prospects ranked, the most of any NHL team. The rankings are based on overall developmental progress, season performance, and NHL potential. Unless otherwise noted, all stats are current as of Mar. 21st. Read more»

Photo: The battle for the top spot in both the Midwest Division and Western Conference in the OHL is on the line this weekend as the London Knights’ Christian Dvorak and Erie Otters’ Travis Dermott square off in a key CHL matchup (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The postseason tournaments are underway in college hockey, while the regular seasons in the three CHL leagues wrap up this weekend. This week’s Prospect Faceoff focuses on a couple of noteworthy NCAA semi-final games in the NCHC and ECAC while also taking a look at three CHL games with implications for next week’s playoffs. Read more»

Photo: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Chris Bigras played in 37 AHL games with the San Antonio Rampage this season before receiving his first NHL call-up in January (courtesy of Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

With the game on the line, Jack Eichel was cool, calm, and collected with just seconds left on the clock. Likewise, David Pastrnak wasn’t even looking at the net when he sniped Cam Ward’s water bottle. This time of year provides young players an opportunity in the NHL, and Chris Bigras and Zach Hyman took advantage of it to score their first NHL goals. Plenty of other highlights are included in a jam-packed edition of Prospect Impressions. Read more»